1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera with a retractable or collapsible "taking" lens which is mounted on a camera body so as to extend or protrude from a camera body for taking a photograph and be collapsed or retracted within the camera body for the purpose, of easy carrying and, more particularly, to a camera with a retractable lens which is variable between two photograph formats, such as a standard format in which a standard size of image area is defined on a standard format film, and a panoramic format, in which a panoramic size of image area is formed on the standard format film.
Various kinds of cameras with a retractable lens, such as 35 mm. format cameras, have been developed which can take photographs in different formats. Taking for instance, a retractable lens compact camera, such a camera can be made available in two different formats, such as a standard format, in which a standard size of image area is formed on a standard format film, for instance, a 35 mm. format film, and a panoramic format, in which a panoramic size of image area is formed on the standard format film.
2. Description of Related Art
Such a retractable lens, variable format compact camera has a format varying device or mechanism. The format varying device or mechanism typically comprises a rectangularly-shaped aperture frame for defining a standard format of image area on a standard format film and an aperture reducing means for partly covering or hiding the rectangularly-shaped aperture frame so as to define a panoramic format of image area on the standard format film which is more elongated in size than the standard format of image area. One such aperture reducing means or mechanism includes a light opaque or shield means, such as upper and lower rectangular flaps or blades, adapted to turn so as to cover and uncover upper and lower longitudinal sides of the aperture frame. For actuating or turning the light shielding means in a form of a pair of rectangular blades, there is provided a format varying mechanism including a pair of actuating levers which are pivoted for turning movement by shafts extending in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the taking lens and which cooperate with each other so as to turn the upper and lower blades, respectively. Each actuating lever is urged by a return spring so as thereby to be turned from a position wherein it retains its associated blade to a position wherein it releases the associated blade. Manually or electrically turning one of the actuating levers in one direction against the return spring causes a turn of another lever so as to turn the upper and lower blades in opposite directions, thereby covering the upper and lower longitudinal sides of the aperture frame with the upper and lower blades and define a panoramic format of image area on a standard format film. When the actuating levers are returned or turned in the opposite direction by the return springs, respectively, the upper and lower blades are released from the actuating levers and turn so as to fully open the aperture frame, thereby defining a standard format of image area on the standard format film. Such an aperture reducing means or mechanism is known from, for instance, Japanese utility model application No. 1-145,772 filed by the applicant of this application and now opened as Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 3-84,821.
Since the format varying device or mechanism described in the above publication needs a number of structural parts, such as a pair of actuating levers and their return springs, it is complicated in structure. In addition, the pair of actuating levers are designed and adapted to certainly cooperate with each other. Consequently it is essential for the camera to have complicated linking mechanisms between the actuating levers and the upper and lower blades as well as between the actuating levers, and these linking mechanisms must be adjusted so as to operate with high accuracy.